Container



Sept. 9, 1969 J. MULLAN 3,

CONTAINER Filed Oct. 23, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I

FIG. 2

|NVENTOR BY JOSEPH MU LLAN 6 ATTORNEY P 1969 J. MULLAN 3,465,921

CONTAINER Filed Oct. 23, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 8 w H n '1'? m 2 N :3 LL 9 u. w v I 33 3 FIG. 6

INVENTOR JOSEPH MULLAN FIG. 9

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,465,921 CONTAINER Joseph Mullan, 217 Northway, Baltimore, Md. 21218 Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 486,020, Sept. 9, 1965. This application Oct. 23, 1967, Ser. No. 677,145

Int. Cl. B65d 35/48 US. Cl. 222212 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for dispensing liquid or paste like substances which consists of a collapsible container, an outlet opening at the top of the container and a closure and valve mechanism at the outlet opening operable by manual pressure on the closure to open the valve and simultaneously to collapse the container to effect discharge of the contents through the outlet opening.

This application is a continuation in part of my prior co-pending application for a collapsible container, Ser. No. 486,020 filed Sept. 9, 1965, now abandoned.

This invention relates to a collapsible container and more particularly to a storing and dispensing receptacle composed of a molded, resiliently flexible synthetic plastic material possessing the characteristic of a collapsible bottle in which the entire contents thereof may be completely expelled therefrom when the receptacle is fully collapsed.

In collapsible flexible containers of this general type heretofore devised, it has been the usual practice to discharge the contents of the container by manually pressing the opposite sides or opposite ends, as the case may be, together.

In either case complete evacuation of the container was not obtained by reason of the fact that under the conditions of use the deformation of the container was such that the collapse thereof in response to the squeezing action applied thereto was incomplete and a certain amount of the contents thereof were retained within the container and wasted and discarded with the used container.

The device of the present invention possesses all the advantages of the prior art devices, plus the following advantages.

In accordance with the teaching of the present invention, one of the desirable objects of complete evacuation of the container is obtained by providing a bottle like structure having relatively fiat end portions interconnected by a flexible bellows to form a collapsible chamber therein adapted to receive and dispense at will a fiuid content such, for example, as a photograph developing agent, through an aperture formed Within one of the end portions and a nozzle in communication therewith. The end plates are configured in such manner that all of the contents of the container are completely expelled through the aperture when the container is fully collapsed by pressure applied to the end plates as will more clearly appear as the description proceeds.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved dispensing container composed of a resiliently flexible synthetic plastic material suitable for the purpose which possesses the advantage of complete evacuation when the end portions thereof are pressed into mutual engagement.

Another of the objects is to provide a new and improved storing and dispensing device in which means are provided for facilitating the uniform collapse of the device during an evacuation operation.

Still another of the objects is to provide a new and improved collapsible storage and dispensing container composed of resiliently flexible synthetic plastic material in which the entire contents of the container are dispensed, if desired, during a single compressing stroke applied to the ends thereof.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide an improved storage and dispensing container of any convenient size whereby, the liquid in the container may be partly exhausted from time to time by partially collapsing the container and at the same time expelling all of the air above the surface of the liquid remaining in the container and capping the container to exclude air from the suface of the liquid and to keep the container in whatever collapsed position it is in when capped to exclude any and all air from the container to prevent oxidation and evaporation of the contents remaining within the container.

A further object is to provide a new and improved collapsible storage and plastic container which is economical to produce and which possesses the desirable properties of ruggedness, reliability and ease of operation for the purpose intended.

.It is also contemplated to employ a valved cap or closure means in combination with the improved storage and dispensing container and one which functions, when pressure is applied thereto, not only to open the valve therein but also to apply pressure to the container and thereby facilitate expelling the contents of the container and which when pressure is released will immediately close and prevent entry of air into the container.

Still other objects, advantages and improvements will become more clearly apparent upon consideration of the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation partly in section of one form of the container according to my invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view of the separate bottom member for the container of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 showing a modified form of container;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation partly in section of the separate top for the container of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary section of the top of the container and one form of valve cap, with the valve in closed position;

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to FIGURE 5 with the valve in open position;

FIGURES 7 and 8 are views similar to FIGURES 5 and 6 respectively but showing a modified form of valve; and

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view taken on line 9-9 of FIGURE 7.

Referring now to the drawing in which like numerals of reference are employed to designate like parts throughout the several views, and more particularly to the embodiment shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, there is shown a container made of plastic or similar material generally indicated by the numeral 10 comprised of a circular disclike top wall 11 and a circular bottom wall or base 12 interconnected by a circular bellows like structure generally indicated 13 and providing a collapsible side wall for the device.

In this embodiment of the invention, the base or bottom wall 12 is formed as a central flat disc 14 of plastic material having a peripheral slightly conical and downdiverging sections 17 and upwardly and inwardly converging sections 18 forming in effect an accordion pleated bellows. The lowermost upwardly diverging section 17 is joined to the ring portion 16 of the base by heat sealing these parts together, while the uppermost inwardly converging section 18 is integrally joined to the top wall 11. The modification of container shown in FIGURES 3 and 4 is similar to that shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 except in this form the top wall 11 is formed as a separate element from the bellows side wall 13 and is provided with a conical ring portion 19 which in turn is secured to the uppermost inwardly converging element 18 of the side wall portion by heat sealing these portions together.

It is evident that both the top wall and the bottom wall may be made separate from the bellows like side wall and heat sealed together if desired.

The collapsible container may be compressed end wise until all the pleats in the side Wall 13 are completely flat and-occupy a depth substantially equal to the height of rim portion of the bottom. When so collapsed the central flat disc 14 will substantially contact the top 11 which will insure expulsion of substantially all of the contents of the container.

The top 11 in both modifications of the container described above has a centrally located neck portion 20 to which a valve cap is attached. This valved cap may take several forms, for example that shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 and generally designated by reference numeral 21 and that shown in FIGURES 7 and 8 and generally designated by reference numeral 22.

The valve cap 21 consist of inner cap member 23 screwed or otherwise fastened to the neck 20 of the container and has a central bore 24 extending longitudinally therethrough and a side port 25 extending laterally from the central bore and out through the side of the inner cap member. A discharge spout 26 is secured in the inner cap 23 in communication with the side port 25 and forms a convenient discharge spout for the container.

A reciprocating valve member 27 is positioned for longitudinal movement in the central bore 24 and has a hollow central passage 28 communicating with a side port 29 which in one position is in registry with port 25 in the cap to' open the valve and in another position is out of registry therewith to close the same as shown in FIGURES 6 and 5 respectively.

The valve member 27 has its upper end formed integrally with the cover 33 or is fixedly secured thereto. The valve is moved to close and open position by axial movement along the central bore 24. By moving the cover downwardly by applying pressure to the top thereof the valve will be open and when the pressure is released the cover returns to normal position by action of the spring 32.

To form a neat enclosure for the inner cap and valve mechanism an outer cap 33 is provided. To hold this outer cap in place and guide the same for reciprocation to actuate the valve there are provided three downwardly projecting tongues or guide members 34 positioned 120 apart extending downwardly from the inner upper surface of the cap and embracing the outer surface of the inner cap 23. Tofacilitae attachment of the outer cap to the inner cap the guide members 34 have inwardly projecting lugs 35 which are received in elongated slots 36 in the inner cap. The slots 36 are longer than the lugs 35 to enable the outer cap to slide up and down with respect to the inner cap to actuate the valve member in the inner cap but prevent removal of the outer cap from the inner cap when once placed thereon. The lower inner edges of the lugs 35 are inclined inwardly and upwardly while the upper edge of the inner cap is inclined downwardly and outwardly as shown at-38 to facilitae attachment of the inner cap to the outer cap by pressing the former on the latter thus causing the inclined surface 37 and 38 to coact to slightly expand the guide members 34 and allow the lugs 35 to snap into slots 36. The lugs and slots limit the reciprocating movement of the outer cap to an amount sulficient to operate the valve but prevent removal of the outer cap once it has been placed on the inner cap. An opening 39 through the outer cap allows for discharge spout 26 to extend therethrough.

The modification of valve cap shown in FIGURES 7 and 8 and generally designated by numeral 22 is similar to that shown in FIGURES 5 and 6, above described, and has many parts which are identical to those of FIGURES 5 and 6 and they are accordingly designated by like reference characters. However, the valve and inner cap elements are slightly different and these parts will now be described.

The inner cap 23' is provided with a bore 24 and a counterbore 24" of larger diameter thereabove. The upper end of the inner cap is completely closed above the counterbore by a thin flexible wall 40 which in effect forms a diaphragm which is capable of being depressed as shown in FIGURE 8.

A valve member 41 and spring 42 are positioned for reciprocation in the bore and counterbore and the enlarged head 43 of the valve is adapted to seat against the shoulder 44 in the inner cap adjacent the bore. The spring 42 acts against the shoulder 45 formed by the counterbore adjacent the bore and the enlarged end 46 on the valve end opposite the head 43 and normally urges the valve to closed position as shown in FIGURE 7. However, pressure on the thin flexible wall 40 will press the valve member 41 downward and open the valve as shown in FIGURE 8. T o transmit downward force from the outer cap 33 to the thin flexible wall 40 an internal rounded nub member 47 is provided within the cap to bear on the thin flexible wall.

A molded in washer like member 48 may be incorporated in the cap 23' surrounding the thin flexible wall 40 to reinforce the cap in this vicinity.

The structure of the guide members 34, lugs 35 and slots 36 in the modification of FIGURES 7 and 8 are identical with those of FIGURES 5 and 6.

Whereas the invention has been described with particular reference to several preferred embodiments it is apparent that it is not limited to these specific forms and that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from spirit and scope of the invention and it is my intention therefore to limit myself only to the extent dictated by the prior art and as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A dispensing cap adapted to be attached to a collapsible container comprising:

(a) an inner cap having a bore therein and a lateral port communicating with said bore and extending outwardly through the side of the inner cap and forming a discharge passage through said cap,

(b) a valve member reciprocable in said bore and adapted in one position to open the passage through said bore and port and in a second position to close the passage,

(c) spring means urging the valve member to a position closing the passage,

(d) an outer cap positioned over and enclosing said inner cap,

(c) said outer cap having a plurality of guide members projecting from the inner surface thereof and slidably embracing the inner cap,

(f) said guide members each having an inwardly projecting lug and said inner cap having grooves limiting the sliding movement of the outer cap on the inner cap and retaining the same thereon,

(g) said inner cap having an integral thin flexible diaphragm-like wall over the valve member, and

(h) said outer cap having a projection on the inner surface thereof in position to contact the thin wall whereby manual pressure on the outer cap will deflect said thin wall and the latter in turn will contact said valve member and shift the same against the pressure of the spring and open the passage through the bore and port.

2. A dispensing device adapted to be attached to a container comprising:

(a) a cap member having a bore therein and an outlet opening,

(b) a reciprocable valve in said bore adapted in one position to close said bore and in another position to open said bore for passage of material therethrough and through said outlet opening,

(c) an integral thin flexible diaphragm-like wall in the top of the cap and said valve having a portion in position to be engaged by said wall when the latter is deflected inwardly toward said valve,

(d) an outer cap reciprocably mounted on said cap,

and

(e) means on said outer cap in position to contact said wall, whereby pressure on said outer cap will deflect said wall and shift said valve to open position.

3. A dispensing cap adapted to be attached to a collapsible container comprising:

(a) an inner cap having a bore therein and a lateral port communicating with said bore and extending outwardly through the side of the inner cap and forming a discharge passage through said cap,

(b) a valve member reciprocable in said bore and adapted in one position to open the passage through said bore and port and in a second position to close the passage,

(c) means urging the valve member to a position closing the passage,

(d) an outer cap positioned over and enclosing said inner cap,

(e) said outer cap having a plurality of parallel flexible finger-like guide members projecting from the top inner surface thereof and extending downwardly and slidably embracing the inner cap,

(f) said guide members each having an inwardly projecting lug and said linner cap having grooves slidably receiving said lugs, said lugs and grooves limiting the sliding movement of the outer cap on the inner cap and retaining the same thereon, said outer cap operatively associated with the valve member whereby manual pressure on the outer cap will shift the valve member against the pressure of the means urging the valve to closed position and open the passage thru the bore and port.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,717,672 6/1929 Fitch 222522 X 2,112,125 3/ 1938 Bultzingslowen. 2,576,509 11/1951 Hren 222-514 2,738,107 3/1956 Graham 222212 X 2,780,378 2/ 7 Romano. 2,851,066 9/1958 Ott et al. 222522 X 3,143,429 8/1964 Swanson et a1. 222215 X 3,157,323 11/1964 Kitterman 222212 X FOREIGN PATENTS 589,706 3/ 1959 Italy. 232,885 4/ 1964 Austria.

SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Eraminer US. Cl. X.R. 222-514, 522 

